<p>so I can be val (assuming I get straight As... let's just assume that for this question) if I drop all my honors next year and only take AP, but dropping my honors means that I'll only have 6 classes (5 academic plus 1 gym). I was planning to take the honors classes over the summer so that I would still have the experience and could still let colleges know that I completed the courses, but during the school year my schedule would not be full. I would probably fill up the extra periods with an art class or something.</p>
<p>So my question is, do you think that colleges will see my schedule and think it isn't rigorous enough even though I will have taken the classes over the summer? Do you see any negative impact from doing this so that I can get the val position? Thanks for all your help!</p>
<p>I don’t understand…</p>
<p>If you take all AP classes, and you’re valedictorian, why in the world would they not think your schedule is rigorous enough?</p>
<p>Why won’t your schedule be full?</p>
<p>Why would you need to take the honors classes over the summer? Do you have required courses that are only offered in “honors” and not AP, and plan to take those over the summer? </p>
<p>^If that is the case, yeah the drawback is that you’ll be in summer school, if your counselors even allow you to do this. But to answer at least one of your questions, colleges will be fully aware if you take any classes over the summer through your school, and the grade you received. It should all be on your transcript. Talk to your registrar/counselor to make sure.</p>
<p>Sorry, I guess I wasn’t really clear. Let me clarify and explain the situation.</p>
<p>Originally, I was taking 5 AP and 2 Honors classes (these 2 honors would be my foreign lang and science classes). Another kid is trying to pass my GPA because I’m current valedictorian, so he is completely dropping all his honors classes so that he will have a full AP weighted GPA for next year. In order to keep my position, I have to drop my 2 honors classes too.</p>
<p>I was wondering if my schedule won’t be rigorous enough because I will only have 5 classes (instead of the normal 7) and I’d be filling up the 2 extra periods with classes like art… or something along those lines.</p>
<p>I would take the honors classes over the summer so that I wouldn’t be behind the rest of my grade (I personally just want to keep up academically- I think school is fun so I don’t mind summer school)</p>
<p>Ah. I see. Again you need to talk to your counselor, but taking extra courses in summer school should show up on your transcript, so no, I don’t think your schedule will be less rigorous. May look a little strange taking honors courses over the summer while taking blowoff non-academics during the year, but meh. Make sure that you can actually take honors classes over the summer by the way…</p>
<p>That being said, I think you’re making a mistake by overestimating the value of the title “valedictorian” and underestimating the good use you could make of that time in summer school. Coming out as rank #2 or #3 with some work experience, research experience, or intern experience over the summer would be FAR more valuable than being ranked #1. Just my two cents. </p>
<p>Also, whats your WGPA and the weight of an honors class…? Even as the salutatorian of my school, an A in an honors class added to my GPA (an A in honors at my school is 5.0 and my WGPA ended around 4.8). Just curious.</p>
<p>Well, they wouldn’t actually be labeled “honors” classes. For my foreign language, I was going to just get tutored and then take my school’s final. It doesn’t show up on the transcript but I called different colleges and they said I could put it in the additional info section of the app. For my science class, I was planning to take it at a local university, so it’d actually be a college class.</p>
<p>Well I already have two jobs year-round, but I’ve never heard of research or intern experience for high school kids? I thought those types of opportunities were only open for college students. Could you please tell me more about these? What kinds of internships and research things are out there and how would you go about getting them?</p>
<p>An honors class would not add to my GPA because of the weighting… :/</p>
<p>Yeah you made the same mistake I did if you’re thinking research and internships are not for HS students. Still, the vast majority of students don’t get involved, so it’s not something you NEED to do, but if you have the opportunity, it can be reallly helpful to your profile if you. Makes you stand out- that kind of experience is something most applicants will not be able to compete with, assuming the research/internship is tied in to your intended major. I’d look around these boards for more info, as I’m not too informed. Just something to think about! It’s good that you’ve held jobs though.</p>
<p>Taking that college course will be fine- you’ll send a transcript from the college along with your HS transcript when you apply. I’m not so sure about your language. Most elite schools want to see you have three credits of language, but AT LEAST two. If you will get credit for taking the final, then great, but if not, it might not be a good thing. I might be overthinking this though. If you can take the SAT subject test for that language, it’ll help back up your knowledge (or take the AP course, if you’re up to it).</p>
<p>Alright, that doesn’t sound so bad. So although it’s a different way of getting my classes done, you don’t think it’ll look bad that I’ll have a lot of free periods/non-academic classes in my schedule?</p>
<p>Lots and lots of vals are rejected from top tier schools every single year. It is no more a silver bullet than a perfect SAT/ACT. Is it good? Absolutely! Will it compensate for taking less than a full load so you don’t have to average in a non-weighted class? That may not necessarily be your best option. You are betting on not only your perfect grades, but those of your rival. That’s a lot to bet on, some of which you have no control. As Pancaked said, I think you are really overestimating the value of being val over sal…or even 3rd in class.</p>
<p>pick rigorous schedule ALWAYS. Trust me colleges can tell who actually worked hard and who didn’t. I ended up with a 3.8 unweighted GPA and I got accepted to colleges that 3 of the 8 valedictorians at my school didn’t get into, and possibly more.</p>
<p>In my D.'s school, year after year, we’ve seen the lesser ranked students in the rigorous IB program leapfrogged the non-IB vals in being accepted to Ivy schools and other elite colleges. I am not saying that the full IB kids don’t have other stellar credentials in their favor - excellent ECs, SAT scores, etc - but what this shows is that perfect grades in easier classes are not sufficient.</p>
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<p>Lots of Vals with perfect SAT/ACTs are rejected by HYPSM, including my son. I’d spend the summer and the beginning of the school year developing and implementing a killer extracurricular that will make you stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t know a lot of this. Thanks guys! So I have another question then… I’m looking into filling up my courseload with a double lab science. One is AP weighted and the other is honors weighted (but I’m not sure that I can handle 6 AP classes at once… unless I don’t have to worry about taking the AP test, which brings me to my actual question) Will top colleges (like HPYS) question or wonder why I didn’t take an AP test if I took the AP class? Is it assumed that students applying to these colleges take all the AP tests that they took classes in?</p>
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<p>If you’re talking about your senior year schedule, it won’t matter whether or not you take the AP exams – by then, you’ll already have been either accepted or rejected.</p>
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I think I read that Brown turned down 80% of its Vals this year; it also typically turns down 69% of those who apply with a perfect 36 ACT.</p>
<p>No, it’s not my senior year schedule.</p>
<p>Taking the AP tests and doing well on them is a way of showing that your classes were rigorous. There are plenty of schools where lots of kids get A’s and are lucky to make a 3 on the test.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that HYPSM will “penalize” you if you don’t take the test. It’s more like that, with 10 or 11 rejections to each acceptance, you need to prove in every way possible that you’re better than the next candidate.</p>
<p>The best thing, as all Adcom reps say, is to get As in AP classes. I say you do what you want, but take the most rigorous classes.</p>
<p>LoremIpsum’s post is misleading. Your AP exam scores, like I said earlier, are given very little weight, if any, in the college admission process. What’s important is taking the class and getting a good class grade. Whether or not you take the exam/score is far less meaningful.</p>